


The Space Between Stars

by Zisk



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: A little angst, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Blossoming Cassian Andor/Jyn Erso, Bodhi is adorable and awkward, F/M, Life in the Rebellion, M/M, Married Chirrut Îmwe/Baze Malbus, Mechanic reader, Not a slow burn but not a fast burn, One Big Happy Family, Post-Rogue One, With PTSD, a little fluff, more like a medium burn, reader is good at her job, unless he's piloting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-08
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-01-06 10:44:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18386840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zisk/pseuds/Zisk
Summary: Working as a mechanic for the rebellion hasn't been easy, always too much to do and never enough sleep to go around, but there's nowhere (Y/N) would rather be. A chance meeting sends her into the orbit of a certain pilot and she finds that, just maybe, she doesn't mind.





	1. Chapter 1

The edge of the shuttle’s engine compartment dug into your abdomen as you shifted position, angling the wrench in your hand a little to the left to catch a bolt. You’d just seated it, starting to twist, when the commotion started on the hanger floor. Startled, you almost lost your grip on the wrench and offered up a silent thanks as you managed to regrip it the second before it slipped past your fingers. You scowled as you lifted your head, looking to find the cause of the sudden volume increase.  
Your perch on top of the shuttle gave you a perfect view of the room, and you watched as a gaggle of flight-suited pilots descended on a man carrying a crate. You blinked, your brain sluggish as it turned its focus from engines to the rolodex of faces you kept in your brain. The man with the crate was new but you vaguely recognized him.  
You drummed your fingers on the metal under you, watching his face go from surprise to discomfort as the pilots started chattering at him. He tried to edge past them, keeping the crate between himself and the horde, and you sighed as you set the wrench down and pushed yourself up.  
Unfamiliar or no, you recognized the look of panic slowly building on his face and you snaked your way down the side of the shuttle to go rescue him.  
As you got closer the chatter of the pilots started to form into coherent words, although the speed with which they were talking over each other nearly took it back to being incomprehensible.  
“-trajectory to get past their weapons systems-“  
“-did you know the transmission made it to-“  
“-the shuttle to the rendezvous point after it sustained so much damage?”  
“-knew your team would even be-“  
“Tell us about-“  
You clapped your hands twice, loudly enough to make the man with the crate jump, and the pilots fell silent as they whirled to face you. You raised an eyebrow, casting your gaze between all of them, before settling on the stranger.  
“Which ship is that for?” You asked.  
“Ah-“ He stammered, swallowing. “Shuttle D-17.”  
You nodded, of course it was the one you were working on. Turning your attention back to the pilots, you smiled faintly. “Sorry, he’s coming with me. I need that crate.”  
They groaned in various shades of disappointment, but parted for him to step next to you. You gave them a gentle smile, turning it towards the man before you started back towards the shuttle, trusting him to follow you. You listened to his footsteps tap along behind you, glancing back as you heard the murmur of the pilots moving away. He still looked on-edge.  
You slowed your steps, falling in next to him. He looked down at you, wild-eyed, and you gave him a soft smile.  
“You okay? You looked like you needed a save.” You kept your voice gentle.  
He shook his head harshly, blinking, and gave you a tentative smile. “I- ah, thank you. Yes.”  
“They can get a little excitable, but they’re good people.” You jerked your head towards the retreating group of pilots.  
He bobbed his head, humming acknowledgement and still not quite focusing on anything.  
You lead him into the shuttle, waiting until he’d set the crate down to look him over. He couldn’t meet your eyes, fidgeting and glancing around the space. You sighed, softly.  
“You didn’t answer my question.”  
He blinked, focus snapping to you. “I- what?”  
“Are you alright?” You softened your voice, giving him what you hoped was a reassuring look.  
He blinked again. “I- ah.” Shaking his head, he sighed. “Yes. I just… they came out of nowhere. Surprised me.”  
“They can be overwhelming.” You nodded. He was still tense. “Feel free to hang out in here, no one’s going to come in the shuttle while I’m working on it.”  
He blinked, expression going from surprised to relieved. “Ah- thank you. What’s… What are you working on?”  
“Engine’s been malfunctioning, shutting itself off mostly. I’m still taking it apart.” You watched his eyes flicker over you, finally registering your mechanic’s jumpsuit. You took the moment to size him up in turn; tall and lanky, deep brown eyes set in a sweet face, dark hair carefully pulled back. He was also wearing a jumpsuit and you noticed the hint of old grease stains. A small smile flickered to life on your face. “Want to help?”  
He hesitated for a moment, then nodded. He followed you up the ladder, peering over your shoulder as you caught him up on what had already been done. He dug into the engine, visibly relaxing as he worked, and you lapsed into a companionable silence.  
A long moment later, you blinked, looking up at him. “I’m (Y/N), by the way.”  
He looked up, surprised. “Oh! Ah- Bodhi. Bodhi Rook.” Instinctively he held his hand out, blushing and starting to retract it as he realized it was already covered in grease. You stuck your own grit-streaked hand out, giving him an amused half-smile. He chuckled, shaking your hand, and you were surprised at how warm his touch was.  
The two of you were pulling a length of hose out of the engine when his name clicked in your head.  
Bodhi Rook. The Pilot.  
The Pilot was helping you fix a shuttle engine.  
You glanced at him, watching the look of concentration on his face and the careful way he moved his hands, and smiled.  
You’d had worse assistants.  
*  
Cassian raised an eyebrow as Bodhi sat down next to him in the mess, clothes streaked with grease and oil. The man glanced down at himself, blushing and looking slightly embarrassed.  
Jyn grinned. “You look like you had fun.”  
Bodhi chuckled quietly, shrugging and nodding.  
“Where were you?” Cassian asked, turning his attention back to his food.  
“Working on the shuttle engine.” Bodhi held up his hands at Cassian’s glance. “I dropped off the supplies first.” Cassian raised an eyebrow. “The mechanic asked me to.” Cassian’s eyebrow went higher. “Well, invited me.” Bodhi sighed. “She saved me from a bunch of pilots, they were asking about…”  
He trailed off. Jyn and Cassian nodded in understanding. Scarif was something they only talked about amongst themselves, in hushed voices in the middle of the night, when none of them could sleep.  
“Good. Is the engine fixed?” Cassian’s glance was softer this time.  
Bodhi nodded. “We did some work on the control panel, too. Just fine-tuned some things.”  
“Sounds like you spent a lot of time together.” Jyn observed carefully, glancing at Bodhi with a barely-concealed smile. The pilot blushed.  
“I wouldn’t- that is- We didn’t- I was just helping.” He stammered. Cassian shot Jyn a look.  
She hummed, smiling in amusement, and turned her attention back to her food. Bodhi took a moment to re-settle himself before turning his attention to his plate.  
Cassian glanced between the two of them, a soft smile pulling up the corners of his lips as he enjoyed the simplicity of the moment. Finally, he sighed. “The mission got pushed up, we leave the day after tomorrow.”  
Bodhi and Jyn’s heads snapped up to look at him.


	2. Chapter 2

Weeks passed before you saw The Pilot again, long enough that you’d almost forgotten about pulling him to work on the shuttle. The rotating door of projects assigned to you occupied most of your brain power.  
You were elbow deep in a droid when a clatter from the hallway drew your attention. Frowning, you looked up at the open doorway to your workshop.  
“-didn’t see you, I didn’t mean to-“ There was a thump, followed by words pitched too low to hear.  
You tipped your head back, biting back a groan as you grabbed the heaviest wrench off your workbench and started for the door. Tensions had been high lately, scuffles breaking out where those involved thought no one else could hear them, but in-fighting on the base drove you crazy. It was a waste of energy, and came with the possibility of fracturing the rebellion even smaller, and you wouldn’t stand for it. Especially if they had the audacity to start fights in the hallway by your workshop.  
You were busy. Getting into a fight near your door was just inconsiderate.  
Your scowl deepened as you poked your head into the hall, registering the scene in front of you. A datapad and several small boxes were scattered on the floor, obviously dropped. One of the red squadron pilots, Pellik, had someone backed up against the wall and was starting to cock his fist back as he growled something that sounded incredibly rude.  
You tapped your wrench on the wall, twice, the sound echoing in the otherwise deserted hallway. Pellik’s head snapped to look at you. So did the man against the wall, and you recognized Bodhi’s nearly-panicked expression.  
Your scowl took on a tinge of anger. The Pilot couldn’t catch a break on this base, how long until he regretted defecting?  
“What the fuck are you doing, Pellik?” You asked, working to keep your voice level.  
The pilot looked abashed for a moment, before stepping away from Bodhi and scowling. “This koochoo d’emperiolo ran into me.”  
You bit back a groan. Of course. Pellik had been born into the rebellion and had …opinions on Imperial defectors. You’d butted heads over it a few times.  
“It’s a narrow hallway, people run into each other.” You took a few steps forward, letting the wrench hang by your side. “Nothing to get worked up over.”  
Pellik’s scowl deepened and you glanced from the data pad on the floor to the shaken man still leaning against the wall. “Hey, Rook, why don’t you take your data pad into my workshop. I’ll make sure it wasn’t damaged.”  
He hesitated a moment before nodding, grabbing the pad off the floor before hurrying past you and through the open door.  
You sighed, looking at Pellik. “He’s a rebel, not imperial, by the way.”  
Pellik snorted, starting to pick up his boxes.  
“You gotta stop, Pellik. He fought with us, he’s on our side.”  
The pilot muttered something under his breath and you took another step forward.  
“Okay, fine. We can do this the other way.” Pellik looked up at you, eyebrow raised. “Rook’s mine. Don’t lay a hand on him again.”  
The pilot straightened, eyeing you. “You sure?”  
“Yep.” You gave him a toothy grin. “And if I find a bruise on him, you’re the first person I’m coming to see.”  
He hesitated for a moment, weighing his responses, before slowly nodding. “Alright. I’ll remember that.”  
“Tell your friends.” The grin didn’t falter until he’d turned to leave. Slowly, it drained off your face and you sighed as he turned out of sight, rubbing your eyes. You turned, suddenly tired, and headed back to your workshop.  
Bodhi was waiting for you, back pressed against your worktable. He looked nervous.  
“We really must stop meeting like this.” You gave him a playful smile. Hesitantly, he smiled back. Your expression softened and you stepped further into the room, setting the wrench down. “Is your data pad alright?”  
Bodhi looked down, fidgeting with the data pad before nodding. “I think so.”  
“Good.” You stopped near him. “Are you alright?”  
He hesitated for a moment before giving you a small, tight smile. “Yeah. That… wasn’t the first time.” He shrugged. “I’m getting used to it.”  
“Don’t.” You gave him a tight-lipped smile. “That was the last time.” Before he could ask any questions, your face brightened and you leaned against the table next to him. “You’re part of the Rogue One crew, right? How are you all settling in?”  
He blinked, caught off-guard for a moment. “Uhm. Fine, I guess?”  
“Good. I feel like I rarely see any of you, which might be my own fault since I’m here so much.” You gestured broadly at your workroom.  
“We did just get back from a mission.” He supplied softly and you nodded.  
“That would do it too.”  
The two of you were quiet for a long moment before he gestured to the droid. “What’s wrong with it?”  
“Took a hell of a hit on its last flight, I’m still trying to figure it out.” You gave him a small smile. “You as good with droids as you are ships?”  
Bodhi shook his head.  
“Want to learn?”  
He tried to hide a smile, tipping his head. “Sure.”  
You gently talked him through the steps you’d already taken, tossing him a screwdriver and directing his hands as the two of you continued pulling the droid apart.  
*  
Jyn looked up, startled, as Bodhi threw himself through her open door. She raised an eyebrow as he took a moment to catch his breath.  
“I found them.” He beamed.  
“Found who…?” Jyn asked hesitantly.  
“The one we’ve been looking for. For Kay.” Jyn’s face blanked in surprise and Bodhi grinned. “I found someone who can fix him.”  
“You’re sure?” Jyn stood, her voice tight. “They’re familiar with Imperial models?”  
“I don’t know, but she’s good with droids. You should have seen the one she was working on today.”  
She paused, thinking. “Is this your mechanic friend?”  
Bodhi paused, blushing faintly as he nodded.  
Jyn sighed. “Bodhi, just because she’s good with droids doesn’t mean she can figure out an Imperial-“ She stopped as Bodhi shook his head.  
“She can do it. I know she can.”  
Jyn sighed, glancing at the box under her bed that Cassian didn’t know about, the box she and Bodhi had carefully filled with every part of their friend that they could recover.  
“Then I guess we need to go have a talk with her.” Jyn started to step past Bodhi, his hand on her arm brought her up short.  
He shook his head. “I’ll talk to her.” Jyn raised an eyebrow. “Tomorrow.” She frowned. “She’s asleep.”  
A teasing smile flickered to life on Jyn’s face, taking a moment for her to switch gears. “And how do you know that?”  
Bodhi flushed in embarrassment. “She said she was going to sleep when she threw me out of her workshop.”  
Jyn hummed, smiling. “Okay. Fine, you’ll talk to her tomorrow. Tell me what she says.”  
Bodhi bobbed his head. “Of course.”  
Jyn nodded once before grabbing his sleeve and pulling him out of her room. “C’mon, if we hurry we might catch the tail end of dinner. I’m hungry.”


	3. Chapter 3

You held the wrench in your mouth delicately, your arms sunk up to the elbows in wires. Huffing a sigh out through your nose, you tugged on a metal bracket and it pulled free, allowing another cascade of wires to fall around your arms.  
You rolled your eyes. This kriffing x-wing was going to take you all night at this rate.  
Someone cleared their throat behind you. You turned your head slowly, expecting to find the pilot peering over your shoulder.  
You did not expect The Pilot, looking nervous. You raised an eyebrow.  
“(Y/N), hi.” He gave you a shy smile. “How’s-“ He gestured to the x-wing.  
You shrugged, arms still buried in wires, and tipped your head.  
“I- ah. I was wondering if you could come take a look at something for me?” He shuffled and your eyebrow went back up. “It’s… I have a- well, I don’t have it, but it’s important to me and I was hoping-“  
You carefully extracted and held up one hand, forestalling his nervous stream of consciousness. You took the wrench from your mouth, giving him a small smile. “Sure Rook, give me a second.” Delicately, you pulled yourself from the wiring and stood, glancing back at the x-wing. It was almost assuredly going to take all night now.  
You followed Rook from the bay through winding hallways, finding yourself in one of the dormitory sections. Your eyebrow slowly went back up.  
“What did you say you needed me to look at, Rook?” You called softly.  
He glanced back, blinking. “I-ah, I don’t think I did? It’s my friend, I’m hoping you can fix him.”  
You frowned minutely, trusting Rook to not lead you into a trap. Maybe it was a paranoid thought, but you hadn’t gotten this far in the rebellion on blind faith.  
Finally, he paused in front of a door, palming it open. Based on the jumpsuits and tools strewn about, you hazarded a guess that it was Bodhi’s room. You stepped in after him, letting the door slide shut behind you, and watched as he flipped open a solid looking box next to his bed.  
You exhaled hard, your eyes flickering over the collection of droid parts and taking in the degree of damage they exhibited. Bodhi was looking at you, hopeful, and you had to work to meet his eyes.  
“Kay-TuSo?” You asked softly and he nodded, eyes still lit up. “Did you get the core, his memory chip?” He nodded again and you closed your eyes, sighing.  
“Can you…” He trailed off, as if afraid to say the words out-loud. You opened your eyes, walking to the box and starting to sift through the pieces.  
“I can’t promise he’ll look the same, but if you saved the chip I should be able to figure something out.” You kept digging, frowning. “Depending on the amount of damage it sustained. You haven’t tried putting him in another body, to see?” You glanced up and Bodhi shook his head. “Okay. Are you able to bring him to my workshop? Tomorrow morning?”  
“Why not tonight?” He asked softly.  
“Because that x-wing flies in the morning and half the console is still spread on the floor.” You gave him a soft smile. “I can’t promise anything, but I’ll run a scan on his chip in the morning. See what we’re working with.”  
Bodhi nodded, it clearly wasn’t the answer he wanted but he accepted it. “Thank you.”  
You shrugged. “Bring some caff with you.” Turning towards the door, you hesitated before glancing back at him. “Does Cassian know you have him?”  
Bodhi shook his head, paling slightly.  
You bit the inside of your lip, sighing. “Got it.”  
The walk back to the hangar was short and you threw yourself back into the x-wing, finishing it sometime in the early hours of the morning. Half-asleep, you dragged yourself back to your workshop and curled up on the bed you kept tucked under the table.  
The door opening woke you up, an un-determined (but too short) amount of time later.  
“-by the door.” Bodhi’s voice, followed by a heavy thump. You sighed, rubbing your eyes.  
“Did you bring the caff?” You called from under the table, earning a pair of startled yelps. You popped your head out, eyebrow raised.  
Bodhi was standing next to a brunette woman, both of them staring at you with wide eyes. The woman was holding a cup from the dining hall. You crawled out from the table, holding a hand out to her and wiggling your fingers.  
“Gimmie.” She handed you the cup and you took a long sip, finally extending your hand to her. “(Y/N).”  
“Jyn.” She shook your hand, finally getting over her surprise. “Bodhi says you can fix Kay.”  
“I can try.” You nodded to Bodhi, turning your attention to the box. One-handed, you dug through until you found what was left of the droid’s primary circuitry. You carried it over to your table, hooking it up to your diagnostic rig and pressing the go button. You turned back towards your audience, leaning against your table and taking another sip of caff. “Now we wait. Did Gold Squad take off alright this morning?”  
Bodhi blinked.  
Jyn nodded. “About an hour ago, I think.”  
“Good.” You smiled faintly.  
*  
Baze looked up as Jyn and Bodhi stepped into Rogue One. Chirrut sat near him, eyes closed in meditation.  
“What’s got you smiling?” Baze asked Jyn, softly as to not disturb Chirrut.  
“I met Bodhi’s mechanic girlfriend today.” Jyn grinned, enjoying Bodhi’s startled protests.  
Baze tipped his head. “Does she pass inspection?”  
Jyn shrugged. “We’ll see. She’s working on The Project.” Baze nodded, both of them ignoring Bodhi’s increasingly frantic protests.  
“How does it look?”  
“She says his memory chip has minimal damage, and his circuitry is pretty intact. She’s seeing what she can do with his body.”  
Baze snorted. “She should put him in an astromech, he would hate that.”  
“-seen her, and anyway she calls me Rook! Not even by my first name! We couldn’t possibly-“ Bodhi fell silent as Chirrut reached out and rested a hand on his arm.  
“We are just happy that you are making friends.” Chirrut smiled. “We tease because we are family.”  
Bodhi relaxed, somewhat placated, and Chirrut’s smile turned into a grin.  
“Plus, you light up like a star when you talk about her.”  
Cassian heard the shouting from Rogue One when he was still yards away from the ship. He closed his eyes for a moment, sighing, before a tiny smile curled up his lips.  
They might be a headache masquerading as a crew, but they were his.  
He stepped into the ship and into the fray, somehow managing to raise his voice over Baze’s laughter.


	4. Chapter 4

You looked up as Bodhi stepped into your workshop, tipping your head towards the chair against the wall as you turned your attention back to the droid in front of you.  
“As I was saying, if you have any other problems with your equilibrium send your pilot to me, okay?” The little astromech whistled, gently bumping into your shins before rolling out the door.  
You turned your attention to Bodhi. It had been weeks since he and Jyn had dropped Kay off and, while the pilot wasn’t quite a fixture yet, he’d started spending a lot more time in your workshop. “Good morning. How are you?”  
He shrugged, smiling faintly. “Just got back in from making a run. You?”  
“Tired.” You grinned. “Been trying to make sure Red Squadron’s ready for their next recon.” You walked to the back corner of the room, pushing a tall box out of the way. A droid was sitting behind it, mostly Imperial issue with a few other things welded in. All of its pieces were there, though. “I’m almost done.”  
Bodhi’s face lit up. “Thank you so much for this, I can’t-“  
You held up your hands and he fell silent. “Please, I’ve known Cassian and Kay-TuSo for years, Rook. I’m happy to help.”  
“Bodhi.” He said, quietly.  
You blinked. “What?”  
“Please, call me Bodhi.”  
You paused, then slowly smiled. “Alright, Bodhi.” He rose out of the chair, stepping next to you and inspecting the droid. “It’s not perfect and it’ll take a little bit to get used to. Like this here? That’s from an old HK model I, um, found a few pieces of.” You gave him a nervous glance. He just smiled, nodding. “It should all work, though. Nothing’s going to be as smooth as having all the pieces of his original chassis, but I’ve salvaged what I can and this is… It’ll do.” You snorted. “If you all can get me another Imperial droid I can put him in…”  
Bodhi chuckled softly. “I’ll see what we can do. Is he… Do you just flick a switch and turn him back on?”  
“It’s a little more involved, and I want to run a couple more tests first. Just to be sure.” You sighed, your eyes flickering over the droid.  
Bodhi was quiet for a long moment, before gently resting a hand on your shoulder. “Thank you.”  
Without thinking, you rested your hand on top of his. “Thank you for bringing him back.” You smiled faintly. “He’s going to hate what I had to do to his body.”  
Bodhi laughed quietly. “Yeah, he is.”  
You stood together in silence, thinking.  
Finally, you sighed. “I should probably run a-“ The base alarm system cut you off, blaring to life.  
You and Bodhi looked at each other, startled, and he pulled his hand back as you stepped away from him.  
“What is that?” He asked.  
You knelt next to the droid, frantically typing on the machine you still had connected to it. “The evacuation alarm. We have to get to the hangars.”  
“Evacuation…” Bodhi stilled. “We’re under attack?”  
The base shook, as if in answer to his question. Your hand slammed down on a button and the droid’s eyes lit up. “Looks like.” You called over your shoulder.  
The droid stood slowly, shakily. It reached out, its attention turning to its hand. It made a strange sound.  
Bodhi’s focus shifted from his slowly mounting panic to the droid. “Kay?” He asked, hesitant.  
The droid’s focus swung to him. “What-“ The droid’s voice seemed to creak. “Bodhi Rook?” Bodhi nodded. The droid moved a little more, taking stock of its limbs.  
Finally, it looked between the two of you. “What have you done to me.”  
“That is a long kriffing list.” You grinned manically. “We don’t have time, the base is under attack.”  
“Where is Cassian?” The droid, Kay, asked.  
“Most likely in the hangar. Both of you, follow me.” You turned towards the door, grabbing a bag and making it two steps before Kay made an irritated sound.  
You turned, the base shaking again. Bodhi was frozen and Kay was glancing between the two of you.  
“Bodhi-“ You started, before Kay cut you off.  
“Based on his elevated heartrate and pupil dilation, he is experiencing a panic attack.” Kay looked him over. “You should be able to snap him out of it, but the amount of time it would take would bring our chances of survival down to-“  
“Yes, wonderful, thank you Kay-TuSo. Will you grab him, please, and carry him for me? We don’t have any time.” You snapped, frantic, and Kay shrugged before picking up the pilot. Bodhi didn’t squirm. You sighed before whirling and leading the way to the hangar at a run. You’d deal with Bodhi later.  
The hangar was a madhouse, people running every which way as they tried to get supplies- and themselves- onto the shuttles. A squadron of x-wings passed through the doors and vanished into the sky. The base shook again.  
You took quick stock, leading Kay towards the last place you’d seen the Rogue One sitting. Finally you spotted Cassian, visibly agitated as he piled as many people as would fit into the small ship.  
Behind you, Kay made a sound.  
“Save the tearful reunion for when you hit hyperdrive!” You yelled back at him.  
You tuned out whatever he said in response. Skidding to a stop in front of Cassian, you stepped to the side to allow Kay to advance with Bodhi. Cassian’s jaw fell open.  
“How- Kay?” His voice broke and you felt a pang in your chest for a moment.  
“No time, your pilot’s broken.” You cut in. He blinked, eyes refocusing on Bodhi as Jyn stepped out of the ship next to him.  
“What happened?” He asked, voice back to brusque.  
“He appears to be suffering a panic attack.” Kay supplied. Bodhi whimpered as if to confirm it.  
“Hold him a little lower, Kay.” Jyn instructed. Grudgingly, Kay obliged.  
“How are you not surprised?” Cassian asked her quietly and she shook her head.  
“Later.” She turned to Bodhi. “Hey- Rook.” His eyes focused somewhere past her head. “We need you to fly the ship. We’re taking fire and you’re the only one that can get us out of here.”  
“I could-“ Kay started, falling silent as Cassian shook his head.  
“C’mon Rook.” She rested a hand on his arm and Bodhi’s eyes focused on her. “We need you. Go get in the ship.”  
“I-“ He croaked. Clearing his throat, he tried again. “I can’t.”  
“Yeah you can.” Jyn squeezed his arm. “You have to.” She patted his shoulder twice, turning her attention to Kay. “Get him inside, dump him in the chair. He’ll refocus.”  
Kay made a disbelieving sound, heading into the ship. Jyn hurried after him. Cassian turned to you.  
“There’s room in-“ He was cut off by an explosion on the far side of the hangar, instinctively pulling you both to the ground. You wiggled enough to peer past Rogue One, watching a tie-fighter fire into the hangar until a pair of x-wings shot it down.  
“Get in the-“ He started.  
“Can’t!” You yelled as you scrambled to your feet. “They got Yallin, his shuttle doesn’t have a pilot!”  
Cassian yelled something after you, the words drowned out by the din as you raced across the hangar.  
You slowed near the shuttle, hesitating for a moment as your eyes flickered over Yallin- over the rest of the bodies near him- before you threw yourself inside. Ralston, another mechanic, grabbed your arm.  
“We’re short a-“  
“I know.” You cut him off, pulling him into the cockpit. “Why do you think I’m here. Can you get the doors shut?”  
“Is there anyone else?”  
“Everyone else is in a shuttle or dead, can you get the doors shut?”  
He nodded sharply, ducking back out and leaving you to finish firing up the shuttle. You switched the radio on as you felt the rumble of the shuttle doors closing.  
“-One, exiting the hangar.” Bodhi’s voice came through staticky, but the sound of it brought a smile to your lips. Jyn had been spot on.  
Looking up, you watched the ship lift up and start towards the hangar doors.  
Ralston appeared behind you. “We’re ready.”  
“Good. Buckle up.” You grabbed the radio transmitter. “Shuttle R-10, exiting the hanger.”  
Carefully, you steered the shuttle out of the hangar, glancing around to make sure your path was clear before punching it towards the sky. Or, as close to punching it as the shuttles would get. You grimaced as you hit top speed, still going slower than you wanted.  
“R-10, tie fighter at your 7, take evasive action.” One of the pilots, it sounded like Wains, called over the radio. You cut the thrusters, allowing the shuttle to fall until you saw the tie fighter over-shoot your position with an x-wing close on its heels. Firing them back up, you resumed your climb into the sky, weaving between the occasional bouts of fire.  
You broke through the atmosphere into an Imperial fleet. Beside you, Ralston began to swear.  
“R-10, we’ve cut you a path.” Another x-wing pilot came on the radio. “Your route should already be in the shuttle, under Alternate 5.”  
“Heard.” Your fingers flickered over the control panel, setting the route. “Thank you, Gold Squad.”  
There was a moment’s pause. “(Y/N)?” The pilot asked.  
You hit the button for hyperdrive.  
As the stars spread into streaks outside the shuttle, you leaned back and closed your eyes with a sigh. Ralston rested a hand on your shoulder.  
“You did good.” He rumbled.  
“Thanks.” You didn’t open your eyes.  
*  
Rogue One winked back into existence at the first stop in the chain of hyperdrive jumps. Bodhi looked over his shoulder at Cassian, smiling weakly.  
“No traps waiting for us.” The pilot observed.  
Cassian nodded, silent.  
Bodhi hesitated for a long moment. “Jyn told you.”  
“Jyn told me.”  
“I’m sorry we didn’t tell you.”  
“Jyn told me that too.”  
“We didn’t want to get your hopes up, if we couldn’t…” Bodhi trailed off.  
“And that.”  
Bodhi winced, falling silent.  
Finally, Cassian sighed. “Thank you.” He said softly.  
Bodhi lit up, turning to look at him fully. “You’re not mad?”  
Cassian clapped him on the shoulder, stepping past him to sit in the second chair. “Why would I be mad, you brought back Kay.”  
Bodhi hesitated again before bobbing his head. “Good. Okay.”  
Outside, a shuttle winked out of hyperspace. A moment later the radio crackled.  
“Rogue One, good to see you made it.” Bodhi blinked, startled, before grinning. Cassian raised an eyebrow at him as the pilot scrambled for the radio.  
“(Y/N)!” He cried. “Is that you?”  
“Better believe it.” Amusement colored her voice.  
“How do you know how to fly?”  
She snorted. “You don’t know everything about me, Rook. Bodhi.” She corrected herself.  
He laughed, shaking his head. “It’s good to hear your voice.”  
“Yours too. See you at the next jump.” The shuttle winked back out and Bodhi began pressing buttons. After a long moment, he turned his head.  
Cassian was staring at him.  
“What?” Bodhi asked, blinking.  
“How do you know (Y/N)?” Cassian asked.  
“She’s my mechanic friend.”  
“Ah.” Slowly, Cassian began to smile.


	5. Chapter 5

Hoth was freezing.  
Hoth was beyond freezing, Hoth was the definition of frozen, and you silently cursed as you helped pass crates out of the shuttle. Your irritated sighs left little plumes of steam in the air.  
The third time you’d come out of hyperdrive, you’d received a ‘request’ from one of the resistance leaders to meet with them once you’d all landed. It was very delicately worded, revealing nothing of their thoughts, and you were almost impressed.  
Mostly, you were nervous.  
Admonitions ran through your mind as you passed the crates down the line. Really, you reasoned, what was the worst they could do. It wasn’t like they were going to throw you out of the rebellion. Maybe you’d be watched a little closer, most likely they’d simply reprimand you and send you back to work.  
Not that you were excited about a slap on the wrist, but it could have been worse.  
Ralston jumped out of the shuttle, following the last crate, and gently shook your shoulder.  
“You’ve stalled long enough.” He rumbled.  
“Pretty sure I haven’t.” You grinned. He snorted, the puff of steam obscuring his eyes for a moment.  
“Pretty sure you have. They won’t be mad.”  
“I’d be a little mad, if I were them.”  
He tipped his head. “Only a little.”  
You sighed, smiling wanly. “Thanks.”  
He shrugged, following you into the complex. He peeled off, heading after the chain of crates and yelling a greeting to another of the mechanics. You watched them for a moment, wishing you were helping set up the new workshops. Finally, sighing, you headed further into the building.  
The room they had you brought to was small and sparse, mis-matched chairs hurriedly placed around a too-small table to see them through until they were settled. You felt a pang in your heart, remembering the modest grandeur of the last meeting room. The sudden exodus would take time to recover from.  
You fell to attention as the door closed softly behind you, your shoulders automatically locking as your back stiffened. You kept your face neutral as Mon Mothma looked up from the report she was reading.  
“(Y/N).” She greeted you.  
“Chancellor.” You replied, tone even and eyes focused past her.  
“At ease, please.” You glanced at her. “Mechanics aren’t expected to stand at attention.”  
You snorted, unlocking your shoulders and cocking your hip. “Old habits, I guess.”  
“And was it an old habit that had you piloting one of our shuttles?” She raised an eyebrow and you winced.  
“Yallin was dead, his shuttle didn’t have a pilot.”  
“I’m sure one of our many pilots would have risen to the occasion.”  
“They were all in their own ships.”  
“Then I’m sure someone who wasn’t medically barred from flying a ship would have stepped in.” Her tone was sharp.  
“We didn’t have time, chancellor. I saw the need and I filled it.”  
“You could have crashed that shuttle and killed everyone on board.”  
“But I didn’t.”  
“But you very easily could have.” Mon Mothma sighed, rubbing her eyes. “I know this has been hard on you.” You stiffened, falling back to attention. The motion brought you a little comfort. “I know how hard you tried to- You’ve been grounded for your own safety.”  
She looked up at you, registering the change to your posture, and sighed again. “Thank you for saving our people. Don’t fly the ships again.”  
“Understood, chancellor.”  
She looked at you for a long moment, as if trying to figure out what to say. Finally, she just shook her head. “Dismissed.”  
You half-bowed, turning on your heel and disappearing out the door. It slid shut behind you soundlessly and you closed your eyes as you took a deep breath.  
“I did not hear yelling, it could not have gone too badly.” A low voice spoke up next to you, quietly, and your eyes snapped open. Cassian was giving you a small half-smile that didn’t reach his eyes.  
You snorted softly. “It could have gone better.”  
He nodded. “I hear I owe you my thanks.”  
You sighed, shaking your head. “I told them not to tell you I was involved.”  
“They didn’t. I figured it out myself.”  
“I should have known you would.”  
“Thank you.”  
You shook your head. “I was glad to help.” You snorted, the sound harsh. “Besides, what’s a mechanic for.” Cassian frowned. “You can’t have come this far from your ship only to thank me.”  
He jerked his thumb at the door. “I’m her next appointment.”  
“It doesn’t do to keep the chancellor waiting.” You gave him an amused smile, stepping out of his way. As his hand rested on the knob, you softly spoke up. “You’re welcome, captain. I’ll be by later to check his integration.”  
“I would appreciate that.” Cassian said quietly. He didn’t turn towards you, but you caught the edge of a smile on his face.  
He stepped through the door and you stepped down the hallway, following corridors you’d only seen in holo-grids until you found where the other mechanics had congregated. There weren’t any faces missing and you breathed a soft sigh of relief. Getting everything inventoried and set back up was going to take time, and you all fell to the task as one.  
You resurfaced hours later. Slowly, you made your way to the hangar, the weight of the last few days finally catching up to you. It only took you a moment to spot Rogue One, tucked off to the side, and as you got closer you could hear the low voices drifting from the open ship.  
You knocked on the metal doorframe before you poked your head in, giving the crew a moment to compose themselves. Cassian was sitting between Jyn and K-2SO, both of them close enough to be touching him. Two men you recognized but didn’t know were sitting nearby, shoulder to shoulder, and Bodhi was next to the door. He looked up, smiling in surprise as he realized it was you.  
“(Y/N)!” He jumped to his feet as you stepped into the ship. “I’m so glad- When you weren’t in the ship, I thought- How do you know how to fly?” The words bubbled out of him, tangents started and discarded as he realized he didn’t want to start down them. It warmed your heart.  
“A lady’s got to have her secrets.” You gave him a gentle smile, clapping him on the shoulder. “It’s good to see you, too. All of you.” You turned to the rest of the ship, nodding to the two men. “I don’t believe we’ve met, I’m (Y/N).“  
“You are Bodhi’s mechanic.” One of the men smiled, extending his hand to you. Beside you, Bodhi turned a marvelous shade of pink. “I am Chirrut, this is Baze. It is a pleasure to finally meet you.”  
You shook hands with both of them, a slow blush rising up your face. The larger man, Baze, gave you a smile halfway between amusement and sympathy.  
“You’re here to look at Kay?” Cassian asked, forestalling whatever Chirrut was about to say next.  
“I am.” You turned your attention to the last three crewmembers.  
“You are looking at me.” Kay observed. “I believe your business is concluded.”  
“Kay.” There was a warning in Jyn’s tone.  
“I just want to run a scan, make sure everything’s what it should be.” You held your hands out in what you hoped was a placating gesture.  
“You could simply ask me.” Kay tipped his head.  
“Would you tell me the truth?” You quirked a tiny smile.  
“I am incapable of the primitive thing you people call lying.” You could have sworn he sniffed in derision.  
“Yes, but would you tell me if something wasn’t right? Or would you dance around it?”  
Cassian leaned further into the droid, elbowing him affectionately. “It’s a new body, Kay. Let her make sure she got the kinks out.”  
Everything was silent for a moment before Kay spoke up, so softly you almost thought you were imagining it. “I don’t want her to.”  
You were across the ship in three strides, crouched in front of Kay before anyone could respond. “Kay-TuSo, I will not do anything you don’t give me permission to do. I’m not going to hurt you, I just want to make sure you’re integrating fully.” You rested your hands on your knees. “Do you feel like you are?”  
“I do not know.” Kay was still speaking quietly. “Everything is different.”  
“Okay.” You glanced at Cassian, who was looking increasingly concerned. “Kay-TuSo, what if I don’t plug you into anything? What if we run some checks together?”  
“That would be preferable.” A little of his usual tone was returning.  
“Okay.” You stood, looking at each of the crew in turn. “I hate to throw you all out, but I’m going to need some space for this.”  
Jyn stood, taking a couple strides and wrapping her arm through Bodhi’s. “C’mon, guys. I’m pretty sure they’ve got the mess set up. I could go for an early dinner.”  
Bodhi started to protest as Jyn dragged him out of the ship, Chirrut and Baze on their heels.  
Cassian stood and you held a hand out. “I think you should stay.” You turned your attention back to Kay. “Would you like Cassian to stay?”  
“Yes.” The answer was immediate. Kay turned his attention to the captain. “Do you have your blaster?” Cassian nodded. “You are to shoot her if she touches me.”  
“Kay-“ Cassian started, alarmed.  
“It’s okay.” You held up your hands. “I won’t touch you.” You sat down across from Kay, tucking your hands between your thighs. “I’ll stay like this the whole time, or Cassian gets to shoot me. Now, please stand up and demonstrate your control of your left foot.”  
The check took an hour, and you set Kay’s last task as going to the mess to retrieve the crew. As he stepped out of earshot, you turned your attention to Cassian.  
“There are things I can’t verify like this.” You said softly.  
“I know.”  
“If he won’t let me run the scan, I can’t tell if there won’t be problems down the line.”  
“I know. I’ll talk to him.”  
“Don’t push him. If it becomes an issue, we can see if he’ll let me walk Bodhi through the scan or something.”  
“Thank you.” Cassian said softly. “I’m sorry he’s so-“  
You shook your head. “He woke up in a different body. I’d be upset too.” You sighed. “He’s not the first droid I’ve seen react like this.”  
Cassian nodded, thinking. “Can you stay until they get back?”  
You shrugged, hands still between your legs. “Pretty sure you get to shoot me if I move before Kay-TuSo gets back, so…” You gave him a playful grin. Cassian snorted.  
You kept the conversation light until the crew returned, swapping tips for staying warm and little bits of resistance news you’d both picked up. It wasn’t a long wait, Kay stepped into the ship first and looked down at you.  
“I have completed all of your tasks.” He observed.  
“Then the check is done. May I stand?” He tipped his head in assent and you stood, stretching until your back popped. The rest of the crew filtered in, Chirrut and Baze reclaimed their seats and Jyn stepped next to Cassian. Bodhi stepped up next to you, looking faintly concerned. You gave him a gentle smile.  
“Now that I have all of you.” Cassian started, drawing everyone’s attention. “We fly out the day after tomorrow.”  
“That’s my cue to leave.” You took a step back, freezing as Cassian shook his head.  
“You’re coming with us. There’s a few stations scattered around this system that function as our early warning system, but no one’s laid hands on them in ages. We’re going to make sure none of them are compromised, you get to make sure they still work.” He half-smiled at your raised eyebrow. “The chancellor specifically recommended you.”  
You sighed softly, inclining your head. “When do we leave?”  
“First light.”  
“I’ll get a toolkit together. Anything else I need to know?” He shook his head.  
“It will be good to have you with us.” Chirrut smiled. Jyn nodded, and a glance beside you revealed that Bodhi had lit up with excitement.  
You smiled softly. It would be good to get out for a bit, you supposed.  
*  
The crew was clustered together in Rogue One. Jyn sat with her feet on the bench, back resting against Cassian and eyes closed, holo-reader resting on her thighs. Baze was re-sighting a scope, Chirrut sitting in meditation on the floor between his legs (if any of them noticed he was starting to list to the side, his head resting on one of Baze’s thighs, none of them thought to comment). Bodhi had torn apart the door control, wires and bolts spread over the bench next to him as he tinkered with the body of the box. Kay sat on Cassian’s other side, lost in calculations.  
Cassian finally looked up from his holo-pad, glancing at the droid.  
“Kay.” He said softly. Bodhi and Baze glanced up at them, carefully returning their attention to their projects.  
The droid’s head swiveled to look at the captain.  
“What was that earlier?” Cassian kept his voice low.  
“To what are you referring?”  
“With the integration check.”  
Kay was silent.  
“It’s important.”  
“I am aware.”  
“Kay.”  
The droid looked down, flexing the mis-matched fingers on one hand. “She put me in this body.”  
Bodhi looked up sharply, staying silent when Cassian shook his head.  
“She was using what she had to bring you back.”  
“I am aware.”  
“Then why…” Cassian regarded his friend, concern writ large across his face.  
Kay was quiet for a long moment. “This body is almost right, but little pieces are wrong. It doesn’t move the way it should.”  
“If she could run that check, maybe she could-“ Cassian stopped as Kay’s head snapped around to look at him.  
“No. She’s done enough.”  
“I asked her to.” Bodhi said softly. “If you’re going to be upset with someone, be upset with me.”  
Kay turned to the pilot. “You asked her to fix me out of an emotional need to have me returned. She chose the specifics.”  
“She was working with what she had.” Bodhi tipped his head. “Would you rather we tried to find you a complete version of your original model?”  
“Yes.” The response was as close to a sigh as Kay could get. Cassian winced.  
“Will this do in the meantime?” Cassian asked.  
“Yes.” Kay inclined his head. “This body is… adequate.”  
“You know the silver bits in your hand are from an old HK.” Baze rumbled. “Good model. Especially murderous.”  
“Are you implying I have a murder hand.” Kay tipped his head.  
Baze shrugged, smiling faintly. “Don’t know until you’ve tried it.”  
Kay regarded the hand a little closer, wiggling the digits before looking back up. “I am resuming my computations now.”  
Cassian patted him on the arm, tipping his holo-pad back up. Baze and Bodhi shared a glance before returning to their projects.  
Outside, the hangar remained silent and the night marched on.


	6. Chapter 6

Wains caught you just inside the hangar. You’d spent the day before locked in with the mechanics, organizing the main workshop and putting together an adequate toolkit for your mission, unavailable to the base at large. Wains had obviously been looking for you, if the way he lit up at the sight of you was anything to go by.  
“(Y/N)!” He called, excited. “Was that you I heard you flying the R-10?”  
You inclined your head in assent.  
“Does that mean you’re back?” The excitement in his voice broke your heart.  
You shook your head. “No, Wains. I was just stepping in during the evac.”  
His face fell. “But you flew. That means-“ He stopped as you shook your head.  
“I’m still grounded.” You gave him a soft smile. He frowned.  
“(Y/N)!” Bodhi called. You both turned to see him waving from next to the Rogue One, smiling. You waved back.  
Slowly, Wains looked between the two of you.  
“I’m headed out with them.” You supplied.  
A smile started to tug up the corners of his mouth. “That’s more enthusiastic than just ‘greeting the mechanic assigned to my ship’.”  
“We’re friends.” You replied, primly.  
Wains’ smile widened.  
“Do not.”  
“I don’t know what you mean.”  
“I outrank you.”  
“No you don’t, you’re a mechanic.”  
You shot Wains a withering glare and he just grinned wider.  
“I won’t tell the other pilots about your boyfriend.” He looked back at Bodhi, the grin on his face slowly replaced by a look of startled realization. “Wait, isn’t that The Pilot?”  
“Good bye, Wains. I’ll see you when I get back.” You clapped him on the shoulder before stepping around him and making your way into the hangar. He shouted something after you and you waved over your shoulder, not turning around.  
Bodhi came out to meet you as you got closer, giving you the run down on the alterations he’d made to the system yesterday. You could feel Wains’ gaze at your back as you followed the pilot into Rogue One.  
You were not looking forward to seeing how your next conversation with Wains was going to play out.  
As Bodhi hit the end of his list of alterations, Cassian stepped up and rested a hand on his shoulder.   
“Ready?” The captain asked, quirking a half-smile at you.  
You nodded. “Aye, captain.”  
He snorted, shaking his head. “C’mon Bodhi, Kay’s waiting in the cockpit.” Cassian turned, stowing a couple more bags before he settled into a seat.  
Bodhi turned to you, giving you a nervous smile. “I’m glad you’re coming with us.”  
“I am too.” Your smile was soft. He bobbed his head, pleased, and disappeared into the cockpit.  
You strapped yourself in, letting out a long exhale. This was going to be good for you.  
The first two stops were uneventful; the moons the stations were located on remained uninhabited and the stations themselves were in need of minimal repairs.  
By the third stop, you were starting to relax. The crew had made so many alterations to Rogue One, building it to suit their needs, that it was more like a small home than a rebel ship. As for the crew themselves, despite Kay’s continual wariness, they welcomed you warmly.  
It was nearing a week away from Hoth when the ship got within sight of the dwarf planet housing the fourth station. You were curled up on a bench in the kitchen, staying out from under foot and keeping Baze company while he cooked.  
“-took me all of a month to get the rooms rebuilt, I have no idea what Chirrut was thinking.” The tall man shook his head, smiling affectionately.  
You couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of you. “You two are so lucky to have each other.”  
“He says it was the will of the Force that brought us together.” He shot you an amused look.  
“Do you believe that?”  
“Will of the Force, will of Chirrut, what difference does it make to me.” He shrugged. “We found each other, that is what matters.”  
You nodded slowly. “Fair.”  
He checked something in the oven, nodding in satisfaction, and turned to you. “What has the Force willed for you?”  
“This, apparently.” You gave him a cheeky grin and he tipped his head, amused but unsatisfied. “I joined the rebellion when my planet fell to the empire, I was… young.” He raised an eyebrow. “Not as young as Cassian was.”  
He nodded. “Were you always a mechanic?”  
You hesitated before shaking your head. Surprise flickered across Baze’s face and you shrugged.  
“Will of the Force, right? What matters is we’re here now.” You gave him a half-smile and he nodded.  
“Exactly, and we are glad to have you here.” He paused, a small smile flickering to life on his face. “Although, perhaps some of us more than others.” He turned, pulling a tray out of the oven.  
You sighed. “I feel terrible about Kay-TuSo, I just wanted to help. If I’d known-“ You trailed off as Baze shook his head.  
“I was not talking about Kay, he will come around in his own time.” He shot you a glance, carefully transferring a couple of rolls from the tray to a plate. “You made a good choice in the HK parts, I think he will like them.”  
“Then who are you talking about?” You asked, bemused.  
He handed you the plate, shrugging. “Go take these up to the cockpit for me, will you? Rook is too skinny, make him eat these once they have cooled.”  
You blinked, surprised by the subject change, but nodded.   
“And come back later, I will need help with dinner.” Baze called after you as you stepped through the door, a smile evident in his voice. You waved over your shoulder in acknowledgement of his words, making your way through the ship.  
It was a short walk and you popped your head through the open door, finding Bodhi sitting by himself in front of the console.  
“How are the stars?” You asked, stepping in.  
He looked at you over his shoulder, smiling. “Endless.” He noticed the plate in your hands and blinked. “What’s that?”  
“No idea. Baze told me to bring it to you. He just pulled it out of the oven, though.”  
Bodhi accepted the plate from you, setting it down on a flat surface away from the console.  
“Will you share it with me, once it cools?”  
“I will have a bite.” You gave him a teasing smile, sinking into the co-pilot’s chair. “My orders are to make sure you eat.”  
He chuckled softly. “He’s worse than my mother sometimes.”  
“Oh?” You raised an eyebrow and Bodhi hesitated. “So this ‘forgetting to eat’ thing of yours has been going on for a while?”  
“Not you too.” He sighed.  
“I call ‘em as I see ‘em, and I see you don’t always make it down to meals.”  
“Then you also see that someone makes sure food gets brought up.” He glanced between you and the plate, raising an eyebrow.  
You shrugged broadly. “I see the plate go up, doesn’t mean you eat it.”  
He gave you a look somewhere between amusement and exasperation. “If I eat these in front of you, will that keep you from joining in on this?”  
“Maybe.” You grinned.  
He sighed, tearing open one of the rolls. It steamed as filling fell onto the plate, a spicy, savory scent filling the air. Bodhi paused, blinking, as he looked at the roll. Softly, he smiled.  
“What are they?” You asked, inhaling deeply.  
“Meat-filled rolls, Jedhan.” He inhaled, closing his eyes. “My mother used to sell them in the market. Baze’s are good, but they aren’t the same.” His eyes blinked open, fixing on you as his words registered to himself.  
You gave him a gentle smile. “They smell amazing.”  
His hands twined on his lap, fidgeting, and he nodded. “They are.” He glanced between you and the sky, suddenly nervous. “Are there… Are there any foods from your home that you miss?”  
You bit your lip, sighing softly. “I don’t remember? I was young when I joined the rebellion.” He glanced at you. “Not that young. But, most of my life before is… fuzzy.”  
He nodded slowly. “How did you join?”  
“Same story as half the base- Empire occupies my home planet, I meet a couple rebels dressed as smugglers and they agree to take me back with them.” You shrugged.  
He raised an eyebrow at you.  
“I’m not saying they were enthusiastic about taking a kid with them, but there weren’t many other options at the time. We were under fire.”  
The eyebrow climbed higher.  
“It wasn’t my fault.”  
Bodhi laughed, rubbing his face. “Okay, okay, fair.”  
He reached over, testing the heat of the rolls. Finding the open one sufficiently cooled, he handed you half. You nibbled slowly, savoring the different flavors, while he ate half in one bite and pulled another one apart to cool. After a long moment, you became aware of Bodhi’s eyes on you. You turned to him, eyebrow raised, and tried not to blush.  
He flushed, glancing down for a moment. “What do you think?”  
“You’re right, they’re amazing.” You both grinned.  
“The food on Jedha is the best, I wish I could take you and show you.” He shook his head. “There’s this charred meat, on a stick. So good it’d make you cry.”  
You chuckled softly. “I wish you could, too.”  
You glanced at each other, silent and blushing, before both looking back to the stars. Bodhi cleared his throat.  
“They’re beautiful. One of my favorite things about flying.” A tiny smile pulled up the corners of his lips.  
“Yeah?” You asked softly.  
“I used to watch them, when I was little. I always wanted to explore them.”  
“Is that why you became a pilot?”  
He hesitated. “It’s part of it.” You watched him expectantly and he sighed. “You know I defected.”  
“I know.”  
“I didn’t… Flying shuttles meant I didn’t… I wouldn’t have to…” His hands shook a little and you reached out, resting a hand on his shoulder. He sighed, staring out at the stars. “I always failed, when they put me in the TIE fighter simulations.”  
You squeezed his shoulder.  
“I couldn’t.” He closed his eyes for a long moment. “I can’t… kill someone.”  
“I respect that.” You said softly. He snorted. “I’m serious. It takes a lot of strength to know that about yourself and to do the things you’ve done anyway.”  
“You can’t win a war on pacifists.” He mumbled.  
“No, but without one of them we’d have lost already.”  
He shot you a surprised look, the hint of a blush back on his cheeks. “I-“ He looked down, sighing. “Thank you.”  
You squeezed his shoulder again. “Call it like I see it, remember?” You grinned and he snorted, grabbing half of the now-cooled roll.  
You both contemplated the stars as he chewed, sitting in companionable silence. He still had the roll in his hand when a light started blinking on the console, a tinny alarm coming to life with it. You recognized it as a collision alert. Nothing serious, just a notification that it was seeing something ahead of you, and you typed in a course correction without thinking. The alarm stopped, leaving the cockpit suddenly very silent.  
Bodhi was staring at you, brows furrowed. You fidgeted.  
“Does the rebellion teach all their mechanics to fly?” He asked after a long moment.  
“No. I-“ You hesitated, weighing your response. Finally, you sighed. “I wasn’t always a mechanic. Some things stick with you.”  
His eyebrows tightened. “Like how you knew how to fly that shuttle?”  
“Yeah.” You answered softly. He kept watching you, silent but for the nervous tapping of his fingers, and you looked back out at the stars. “I didn’t realize how much I’d miss the stars after they grounded me. I thought… I don’t know what I thought. That it might get easier, maybe.”  
“Why’d they ground you?” He asked, keeping his voice quiet. You closed your eyes, sighing.  
You’d already said this much… “Took a pretty hard hit to the head on my last mission out, turned out it messed up my eyesight. The doc’s decided it was bad enough I shouldn’t fly anymore.” You kept your eyes shut, listening to him hiss in sympathy. “I’d already been helping the mechanics, it made the most sense for me to join them.”  
His clothing rustled as he shifted in his chair. “I’m sorry.”  
“It is what it is.” You opened your eyes, blinking, and turned to give him a half-smile.  
He hesitated for a moment. “But, you flew the shuttle. Did your eyes…”  
“I had Ralston with me, I made him confirm what I was seeing.”  
“Then if you had a co-pilot-“ He stopped as you shook your head.  
“Bodhi, I flew x-wings, not shuttles.” You sighed. He gaped at you in surprise before shaking himself.  
“I didn’t- No one…” He searched for words.  
You shrugged. “No one really talks about it.”  
You sat in silence for a while, watching the stars and finishing Baze’s rolls. Finally, sighing, you stood and stretched.  
“I should go, Baze said he wanted help with dinner. Thank you for letting me stay.” You shot Bodhi a smile, reaching for the plate. He reached out, tentatively wrapping his hand around yours. You looked up, eyebrow raised.  
“Thank you. For the company. And… for telling me. About you.” He gave you a nervous smile.  
“Thank you for listening.” You blushed.  
“I- ah, you know you’re always welcome up here?” He glanced down, a faint flush to his cheeks.  
“I’ll keep that in mind.” You grinned. He gave you a lopsided smile, squeezing your hand before letting go. You collected the plate and stepped out of the cockpit, trying to will your blush away before you got back to the kitchen.  
*  
“You didn’t tell me.” Bodhi didn’t look away from the window, identifying Cassian by the sound of his footsteps as he walked into the cockpit.  
“Didn’t tell you what?” Cassian set a plate of food down next to the pilot, leaning against the other chair.  
“About (Y/N).”  
Cassian raised an eyebrow. “What about (Y/N)?”  
Bodhi finally looked up at him. “She used to fly.”  
Cassian blinked. “She told you…?” Bodhi nodded. “Interesting. It wasn’t my story to tell.”  
Bodhi’s glare lasted for a moment before it melted. “Were you there?”  
“When they grounded her?” Bodhi nodded. “Not on the mission, but I was there when they brought her back.” Cassian sighed at the look Bodhi was giving him. “Fine, but I never told you this. Her second in command, Wains, towed her back. The shot knocked her out, he carried her to the medical bay.”  
Bodhi’s stomach sank. “Wains?”  
“The Gold squad commander. You’ve met him, he’s married to one of the cooks.” Cassian noted Bodhi’s relieved sigh with some amusement.  
The pilot blinked. “Wait, her second in command?”  
Cassian sighed, leaning harder against the chair. “She was the commander before Wains.”  
Bodhi stared at him, silent.  
Cassian held up his hands. “I never told you.” He tipped his head. “How long have you been up here?”  
Bodhi’s face went from surprised to chagrined.  
Cassian smiled. “Go, take your food back to the kitchen. I’ll drive for a while.” His smile widened. “(Y/N)’s still down there, helping Baze.”  
Bodhi made a noncommittal noise, grabbing the plate and heading for the cockpit door. “Thanks, Cassian.”  
Cassian waved at his retreating back, settling into the now open chair, grinning.  
He hadn’t known (Y/N) well when she was a pilot, but the more time he spent around her now the more he found himself appreciating her company. More, she seemed to be good for his pilot, Bodhi had seemed calmer lately.  
Cassian leaned back, watching the stars fly by, and smiled.


End file.
